TOPIC:

Died of disease on 11th June 1901. According to this link - www.britishmedals.us/files/127steinaecker.htm - he served in Steinaecker's Horse but the plaque, in St Mary the Virgin's Church, Salehurst, Sussex, says he was in the Imperial Light Horse.

Berenice

I am a follower of your posts and always enjoy them and now you have found a memorial that is of particular interest to me. Those people who know my medal-collecting interests will also know why this memorial interests me after they have read the reproduction below of Luxford's biography from Bill Woolmore's book 'Steinaecker's Horsemen'.




Luxford was born in Colonial Natal and served in four units that have occupied much of my research time in recent years, namely, the Natal Police, Natal Troop Volunteer Corps, Imperial Light Horse and Steinaecker's Horse. Had he lived he would have worn the British South Africa Company's Medal (Rhodesia 1896) in addition to the QSA. Shown below are the medals of a fellow Natalian, who had a similar history in uniform, and who also did not survive the war to wear his medals.




Brett

What a varied service record he had! Was that unusual during the war?

I've checked the parish's Great War roll of honour and there was one Luxford named on it so the family was still in the area then but there were no Luxfords named in Salehurst's "South African Contingent" for 1914-1918.

Berenice

There was indeed a great deal of unit-hopping amongst Colonials during the Boer War. Men who were 'time-expired' in one unit re-enlisted in another. Often this was motivated by the search for more action. For example, the Natal Volunteer Regiments ("Territorials') stood down at the end of Buller's Natal Campaign. Those men from these regiments who still wanted the excitement of active service then joined the locally-raised Irregular Regiments (Colonial Scouts, Imperial Light Horse etc.), and occasionally even Imperial Regiments.

It seems possible that Reginald Luxford was either not born in Natal or he left the Colony for Britain and later returned with his brother, Ivan. R Luxford and 'J' (perhaps 'I') Luxford arrived in Natal in 1889 after sailing from Southampton on 14 December 1888 on the ship 'Trojan'. I (Ivan) Luxford applied for an appointment in the Natal Civil Service the same year, while R C Luxford (no doubt Reginald Cottenham Luxford) did the same in 1891.

Reginald, whose surname was mistakenly transcribed as 'Lutford' on a nominal roll that is in circulation, joined the Natal Police on 14 April 1896 (No. 1622). On the same day, recruiting started in Pietermaritzburg for men to serve in the Natal Troop Volunteer Corps and assist in putting down the rebellion that had started in Rhodesia. Reginald Luxford became one of those volunteers, who were described in the 'Natal Witness' of 15 April as "a picked body of men, 50 strong". Since there were plenty of volunteers to choose from, the 'Natal Witness' of 17 April reported that the Natal Troop were "picked men" who with "few exceptions" were "old hands at the game".

Perhaps Reginald's Natal Police enlistment was stayed because he already had some experience or skill that made him suitable for enlistment in the Natal Troop. The 'Natal Witness' of 28 April has 'R Luxford' on the roll of men who assembled in Durban. On 2 May, the 'Natal Witness' reported that the "troop of 59 men raised in Natal for service under the B.S.A.Co. in Rhodesia, left Durban by the S.S. Umbilo ..... en route for Beira."

I have yet to check whether or not Reginald rejoined the Natal Police after his return from Rhodesia. He was certainly in Pietermaritzburg in September 1899, when the Imperial Light Horse was raised there and he became an early recruit of the regiment.

Reginald's only other record in the South African National Archives is his 1901 Death Notice. On the other hand, Ivan has several mentions relating to his farming activities in Natal. The last of these files is dated 1910. What became of him after that date is unknown. Perhaps Ivan became one of the casualties of World War I?

Since Reginald has a memorial in Sussex, it is likely that he had close family (? parents) still living there, and it would be interesting if some record of them could be found.

Regards
Brett

Brett,

A bit of info on Ivan Luxford who had several sad events in his life.

His first wife Vivian "Mollie" Luxford born Perfect died on the 10th April 1908 aged 25 years 5 months, one day after the birth of their daughter Mary Pauline Elizabeth. Mary herself only lived for 2 years and died in April 1910. Ivan latter remarried Edith and he died in 1961.

Here is a pic of "Mollie's" grave

Prompted by Brett I'll add what I can to the Luxford story.

John Cottenham Luxford, the father to both Reginald and Ivan was born in Sussex in 1846. It is not known when he decided to emigrate to South Africa but (see below) he met and married Edith Mary Perfect on Christmas Eve 1868 in the County of Umvoti (at a place called Noodsberg to be more specific) He was descibed as a 22 year old Gentleman.





He returned to England a Widower and married a 21 year slip of a girl on 24 November 1885. He died in 1895 in England.

Son Ivan served in Murray's Horse in the ABW and was awarded the QSA with Natal clasp he married a Viviam Mary Perfect on 12 February 1907 - was there a bit of incest involved??) At the time he was a Planter in the Port Shepstone area of Natal. He farmed "The Exchange" at Lower Umzimkulu.





Reggie's synopsis has been provided but, to add to the story, his probate was in 1902 in England as below. His grandfather George had been a Curate hence the bequest to Hussey.





Regards